εἴτ᾽ ἄκρα … ἱκοῦ. On this corrupt passage, see Appendix. Reading ἄκρα ι περὶ γύαλ̓ for ἄκραν ι ἐπὶ γύαλον, I take the sense to be: “"or if (εἴτ̓), in the furthest recesses of the glade, for the honour of the Poseidonian sea-god, thou art hallowing his altar with sacrifice, (yet) come."” The precinct of Poseidon at Colonus was large enough for an ecclesia to be held within it (Thuc. 8.67). It included the “ἄλσος” and “ναός” mentioned by Paus. I. 30 § 4. (See Introd.) The word “γύαλον”, “"a hollow,"” was oft. used in the plur. of hollow ground, valleys, or dells: cp. Aesch. Supp. 550 “Λύδιά τ᾽ ἄγ γύαλα
καὶ δι᾽ ὀρῶν Κιλίκων
”. It would apply to the depressions between the gentle eminences of this “στερνούχου χθονός” (691),—as e.g. between the two neighbouring knolls at Colonus (cp. 1600). ἄκρα περὶ γύαλα means that the altar of Poseidon is in the part of the large “τέμενος” furthest from the Chorus. When Theseus left the scene (1210), his purpose was to send the suppliant Polyneices from this same altar to Oedipus (cp. 1349). The Chorus surmise that Theseus may have stayed at the altar to complete his interrupted sacrifice (888). In 1491 εἴτ̓ should perh. be εἴγ̓, but is intelligible if we suppose the thought to be,—Come (if thou art near, and at leisure),—or if thou art sacrificing, nevertheless quit the altar, and come. βούθυτον proleptic with ἁγίζων; to sacrifice on the altar is to “"hallow"” it. Cp. Aristoph. Av. 1232 “μηλοσφαγεῖν τε βουθύτοις ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάραις
κνισᾶν τ᾽ ἀγυιάς.
” ἑστίαν= “βωμόν” (888, 1158): Aesch. Th. 275 “μήλοισιν αἱμάσσοντας ἑστίας θεῶν.” Ποσειδωνίῳ θεῷ=“Ποσειδῶνι”, not really like “ὁ Βακχεῖος θεός” (O. T. 1105), “"the god of “Βάκχοι"”” (cp. 678), but somewhat similar to the Homeric “βίη Ἡρακληείη”, etc. Perhaps Ποσειδωνίαν (with “ἑστίαν”): cp. Pind. N. 6. 46 “Ποσειδάνιον ἂν τέμενος”.
